1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interactive two-way remote control having an advertising display on a visual display of the remote control and circuitry for maintaining the advertising display on the visual display when the remote control is in a quiescent state.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR .sctn..sctn. 1.97-1.99
Hand held remote controls are normally battery operated devices capable of sending control commands wirelessly (using IR or RF) in one direction only, from the handset to the controlled device. Even when the handset is fitted with a display, the display typically is used only for enhancing the user interface on the remote control itself, for instance in displaying the status of the remote control or aiding in initial setup of the remote control.
Heretofore, various systems have been proposed for the remote display of information, such as the display of prices on the edge of a shelf in a supermarket or information on the screen of a television set. Also, there have been proposed remote control devices including key back-lighting, credit card and smart card readers and built in modems or adapters for communicating with a modem. Several examples of such previously proposed remote control devices and remote display systems are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
U.S. Pat. No. Patentee 4,888,709 Revesz et al. 4,959,810 Darbee 4,962,466 Revesz et al. 5,204,768 Tsakiris et al. 5,249,044 Von Kohorn 5,285,278 Holman 5,287,181 Holman 5,355,480 Smith et al. 5,396,546 Remillard 5,404,393 Remillard 5,410,326 Goldstein 5,416,535 Sato et al. 5,450,079 Dunaway 5,455,570 Cook et al. 5,461,667 Remillard 5,497,185 Dufresne et al. 5,502,504 Marshall et al. 5,504,475 Houdou et al. 5,532,689 Bueno 5,537,107 Furnado 5,537,463 Escobosa et al. 5,539,393 Barfod 5,552,837 Mankovitz 5,566,353 Cho et al. 5,568,367 Park 5,603,078 Henderson et al. 5,576,768 Gomikawa 5,604,923 Wilkus PCT Patent Publication Applicant WO 93/12612 Yuen at al. WO 93/19427 Singer st al. WO 94/15417 Minimetrics Limited WO 95/32583 TV Guide On Screen WO 95/01056 Apple Computer, Inc. WO 95/01057 Apple Computer, Inc. WO 95/01058 Apple Computer, Inc. WO 95/01059 Apple Computer, Inc.
Two way data coupling in a remote control is disclosed in the Darbee et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,810.
The Tsakiris et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,768 discloses a remote controlled electronic presentation system including a wireless remote control which includes an infrared receiver and an infrared transmitter for communicating with a remote transceiver coupled to a computer.
The Smith et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,480 discloses an interactive terminal which is coupled via two-way RF communication to a central location designated as the system manager. A key pad which may be directly coupled via an infrared remote control transmission link receiver is actuated to cause a prompting screen to be displayed on a television set.
The Remillard U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,396,546, 5,404,393 and 5,461,667 are directed to an electronic device and method for accessing remote electronic facilities and displaying information retrieved from the remote electronic facility on a conventional television set including a host computer connected to a television set and to a telephone line. An electronic device interface is coupled between the television set and the host computer and facilitates display of retrieved data on the television set under the operation of a remote key pad control having keys for initiating the sending of menu selection signals to the electronic device interface.
The Goldstein U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,326 discloses a programmable remote control device for interacting with a plurality of remotely controlled devices, including an optical input, an IR input and an audio input for transferring embedded data in a television broadcast to the remote control device. The remote control has an FM bi-directional communication link to a telephone interface which can be radio frequency coupled to a television set or to a telephone line or a power line. The remote control has a visual display and advertising can be displayed on the visual display.
The Dunaway U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,079 discloses a multimodal hand-held remote control device including a IR transmitter and an IR receiver and/or RS 232 interface for transmitting data to and receiving data from a controlled multimedia or host.
The Cook et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,550 discloses a method and apparatus for communication of program data via a remote control unit including a remote control having an RF receiver and an RF transmitter for communicating with a digital music tuner.
The Marshall et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,504 discloses a video mix program guide stored in a computer and having an infrared radio frequency receiver. A viewer sends commands to the receiver to control operation of the computer by use of an infrared or radio frequency remote control transmitter.
The Apple Computer, Inc. PCT Patent Publication Nos. WO 95/01057, WO 95/01056, WO 95/01058 and WO 95/01059 disclose an interactive audio-visual (AV) transceiver coupled to a television set and/or a telephone cable. A remote control device is provided for communication with the AV transceiver to interactively manage selection of program and service sources. The remote control device sends and receives wireless (IR) control signals to and from an IR control unit and the audio-visual transceiver.
The Minimetrics Limited PCT Patent Publication No. WO 94/15417 discloses a combined remote control and data logging unit for use as a market research tool and includes a transceiver comprising infrared input and an infrared output.